How to Make a Matcha Latte

Forget expensive coffee shop lattes, here’s how to make a matcha latte at home! You don’t need any fancy equipment, just matcha, something to sweeten it with, and the milk of your choice.

I looooooove matcha lattes. The strong grassy, flavour is a perfect mid-day pick-me-up, and matcha is LOADED with health benefits.

If you go out, matcha lattes are expensive! I also find that, in Stockholm anyways, it’s tough to find places that make them correctly. They either put waaaaaay too much matcha powder in and make it a bitter, undrinkable waste, or use some not-actually-matcha powder mix that’s got sugar and who knows what else up in there.

I really perfected my DIY matcha latte technique while I was on maternity leave, so today I’m going to teach you everything I know. I should note that my technique will probably horrify Japanese people everywhere, and to them I say, sorry / not sorry. This homemade matcha latte is delish!

What do I need to make a matcha latte?

First up, you’re going to need some supplies. Matcha powder, obviously, and I like to spring for the good stuff. I buy top-quality ceremonial grade matcha for my lattes. Save the lower grades for smoothies and baking and stuff like that. I like to sweeten my matcha latte with a bit of honey, but if you’re vegan you can swap it out for another liquid sweetener of your choice.

For the milk (or mylk, if you insist) my go-to dairy-free option is oat milk. Gawd, why did it take me so long to try oat milk? It’s got that lush, creamy consistency reminiscent of soy milk, but without being soy milk if ya know what I mean. For me, almond milk doesn’t cut it for latte-ing, it’s just too watery. But really you can use any milk that floats your boat, even regular old cow’s milk, in which case, I recommend you treat yourself to whole milk here.

You’re going to want a nice, wide, deep, mug that you can whisk in, or a bowl if you’re hip like that. Lastly, you’re going to need some sort of whisking apparatus. I have a proper bamboo matcha whisk, but I’ve use all sorts of things before with varying degrees of success.

If you don’t have a matcha whisk you could try:

One of those electronic milk foamer thingies – those are great for whisking the matcha into the water AND for foaming your milk, so lots of bang for your buck.

A French press – you can plunge it up and down until the matcha has dissolved into the water, and then keep plunging once the milk is added for super foamy milk.

A fork. Yes, a fork. Here’s my trick: BEFORE you add any water, use the fork to mash the matcha and honey together into a green paste (sorry Japanese people, I know this sounds awful) and THEN add the water. This emulsification with the honey helps create a better suspension when the water gets added and you won’t end up with grainy matcha at the bottom of your mug.

How to make a matcha latte at home:

Now that you’ve got your stuff organized, it’s time to make your homemade matcha latte!

First things first, put the kettle on. Here’s something super important to know about making matcha, or any green tea for that matter: don’t use boiling water.

If you were making black tea, boil the kettle until the whistle blows, and then use the water right away. Green tea, on the other hand, is more delicate and using water that’s too hot causes the tea to taste bitter. Ideally, water for matcha lattes should be between 160°F-170°F (70°C-80°C).

If you have one of those fancy kettles where you can set the temperature, then lucky you. If not, my green tea water hack is to boil the kettle, and then let it sit for a FULL FIVE MINUTES before you use the water. Trust me on this one.

While the water is boiling / cooling, you can heat up your milk. I use the microwave for that (where’s that shrugging lady emoji when you need her? 🤷🏻‍♀️<– there she is!) but you can totally go stove top as well. You don’t want to boil the milk, but it should be pleasantly hot if you know what I mean.

Put a little bit of matcha in the bottom of your mug. You’ll need to experiment to figure out how much matcha is right for you. I recommend starting with 1/2 a teaspoon and working up from there. I like a scant 1 teaspoon myself, but I wouldn’t go much over that.

Keep in mind that with matcha you’re not straining the tea out, you are consuming the whole leaf which has been ground into a fine powder, so don’t be using regular tea leaf quantities.

Add around 1/4 cup of your boiled-and-cooled water to the mug, and whisk! Whisk until the water is green and foamy and the matcha is in suspension. I like to add my honey (or other sweetener) now, and whisk again.

Add your warmed milk, and give the whole thing one last stir with the whisk to make sure everything is well mixed. Now, cozy up into a comfy chair, preferably while wearing leggings and a chunky knit sweater, and sip on your delicious homemade matcha latte. Ahhhhh, isn’t that nice?

Hey Nutrition Lady, what’s the deal with matcha?

Matcha is straight stoneground green tea leaves. It’s packed with antioxidants, including L-theanine, which is known to have a relaxing and calming effect on both body and mind.

Matcha is naturally high in caffeine, but the relaxing effect of theanine counters this, all the while increasing serotonin, dopamine, and glycine levels in the brain. That is to say, matcha makes you feel good, helps with concentration, and is just generally amazing stuff!

In addition to all those antioxidants, matcha is also rich in vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc, and magnesium. Since you’re not straining the leaves out when you drink matcha, it’s much more nutrient dense than standard green tea. Bottoms up!

Comments

I have a proper matcha whisk but I can never get my matcha to look foamy like that. I’ve tried whisking in a figure 8 pattern, whisking more vigorously, adjusting the temperature, but nothing seems to work. Any ideas????

I think it might have to do with the milk? The oat milk I used here is foams up really nicely even if you just shake it in the carton. You can also use a French press and pull the plunger up and down a few times to get a good foam going.

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Welcome to Hey, Nutrition Lady! - a vegetarian food blog focused on healthy food for busy people. I believe in a real life, fad-free approach to nutrition, and draw on my background as nutritionist to help people know what they're eating. I hope you like it here! Katie Trant - BSc FNH, MSc Nutrition